Going into the Boston Celtics' Wednesday (Nov. 26) night tilt with the Detroit Pistons, the consensus was that the Celtics faced tall odds (pun intended) trying to keep up with the Pistons on the boards given even healthy they are a smaller team, and with starting Boston big man Neemias Queta out with a sprained ankle, a win seemed almost out of the question for the Celtics.
Yet when the final buzzer sounded, it was Boston still in the lead, and it was the Celtics leaning into the margins where they were strong (or Detroit weak) that made the difference in the win, which head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about postgame. "It helped that we shot 47% from the 3, so that makes up for a lot of other stuff," he pointed out.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut, we got 20 points off turnovers," continued the Celtics coach. "I’m sure they dominated the shot margin, and so every game is just going to be completely different."
Nov 26, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla watches from the sideline as they take on the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images"To me, tonight wasn’t about the execution as it was the mindset that we played with, and the multiple efforts that we played with," added Mazzulla. "They had, from an execution standpoint, more offensive rebounds, more free throws, etc. "
"But I thought tonight we just had the grip, and kind of the toughness to do whatever it takes to win, and we've got to try to fight for that every night."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Helped that we shot 47% from 3: Mazzulla on how Celtics won vs. Pistons
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